New Companion-Same Area

Hey family! Looks like it has been a fun week!


Well first thing first before I get started, I went to transfers and hear President Smith speak for the last time! Haha so Elder Thrap was made Zone Leader in Ubon which is in the Eason. My new companions name is Elder Timothy. So now I have to lead the area. That will be interesting, because I am still learning Thai. If you have any good thoughts on that let me know. I want to make sure I don't forget anything or anyone. Haha anyways! It is all going to be okay! I pray! So anyway this is Elder Timothy's last area. He is leaving in 2 transfers. (August)   He is super nice and is way good at Thai! So I am excited to work with him!

Me and Elder Timothy

Lets see so first thing first Sister Mamm passed her baptismal interview! That is great she will be baptized next weekend! If all goes well! I am excited, I have taught her from lesson 1 so it is cool to see the whole progression of a person! As for other progressing people We have met with this family Mak, Ooy, and Taam (Tom) a lot. We are probably going to extend a date with them. All three are super interested but the person who asks the best questions is the 12 year old. He learned in an English church. The dad learned English in Germany. And they all speak it super well! So if I don't know a word I can usually say it in English. haha! Besides that they are really interested.

We also have Beawer (Beaver in English). He is going pretty good but still isn't willing to try out faith too much! He wants to get baptized when he knows this gospel is true! I love him to death! He didn't come to church he was out of town. But I hope we can get him coming again he came his first 3 weeks learning! We have a few other progressing pretty well Sister Anne and Yu Pin. They both need to get married before they can get baptized though. So nothing really we can do there. We met a few prepared people yesterday inviting I can't remember his name it is written in my other planner. But he is sweet! So ya we are still doing good. We have 9 progressing investigators right now.

Anyway besides that things around here were switched up a lot! Elder Olive left as Zone Leader and we got Elder Pipat he is a native Thai. He is funny too! I also got my new companion Elder Timothy from Gillbert Arizona. He is sweet! He is finishing his mission here in Srinakarin. And is really helpful with the language! He is very good with tones.  It will be awesome having him here to help! He loves World of Warcraft and is a pretty fun person to be around! So I am looking forward to being with him! He served in Sisagade.  It is a small place.  He was the district leader of a district of 3 people.  Some areas in Thailand are Tiny.

Lets see as for some other stuff that happened this week nothing much a pretty average week. Just all the transfer stuff! English Class was awesome! I had to do an umbrella dance thing! Because we did a talent show and we had like 15 minutes left so I did a sweet dance. I looked like a goof but the people liked it! I attached a photo of the class. So this week I will have an opportunity to use some slang words that they like to learn, it is pretty funny.

Our English Class

Well I don't have to many new things to talk about, so next week feel free to ask questions and stuff! I like having some good questions to write about! Thanks for everything! I know that this church is true! I have dedicated two years to serve the people of Thailand and it was the best decision I could make! I love the people here! They are sometimes not very nice when we tract, but that is okay. They really are looking for the truth and when they can feel the power that we bring in to the home. The spirit testifies to them. But it is all about having the spirit! If you don't have that then you can't get anywhere!

I love you all and thanks so much for the e-mails! Good look Cam finishing up school! And the wedding in 3! The trips sound fun! And everyone is getting older haha!

Elder Landon Simonsen!

Greenie Switch Off

Hello Family!

So to start off the week, on Monday we needed to switch off for Tuesday. So we missed out on a little of P-day so we couldn't go bowling:( So we will fit it in soon. So anyway I went with Elder Harley who came in with me from the MTC. Greenie Switch off! It was the Bomb! We both aren't too hot at the language yet, so basically it felt like day 3 at the MTC with your first lesson! I sent a picture with him in another e-mail tracting! Ok so me and Elder Harley taught Brother Sprite it was super good we taught about prayer. We also taught the last lesson with Brother/Sister Lida. Ya kinda sad. But she just didn't want to learn after we taught about the Plan of Salvation. Haha so imagine two greenies teaching that lesson with a person with concerns. So ya we could have done better!

K on Wednesday we had Zone Conference! Ya that was fun! I played the PIano! Haha and I gave the missionary purpose in Thai for the group! President and Sister Smith are so nice I already feel like I have known them forever! We had great lesson on repentance, church attendance, and did some role plays and everything! So then they cut our Ties! And said goodbye.

So I talked a little bit about Elder Heslop! He is an awesome guy. he knows Ben Keaton, Sam Jensen, Sterling Ward. All the guys I wrestled with in Junior High. And he is good friends with Richard Buys! So that was fun talking with him! We have a small zone of about 14 or so missionaries. It is usually in about the high 20's but they made cuts because the Asok zone. Anywho we got 3 of the new Thai missionaries in our zone. They got here early. And one is in our district! She is awesome! She gives me jelly bellies! Haha! She really is pretty funny!

So anywho we have been teaching an Investigator Brother Beaver. Beawer in Thai. And he is the guy who just came to church and we taught him 3 times last week. He has been to church 3 weeks in a row. But he is stuggling with faith and prayer so hard. All three lessons we taught about how you need to ask questions when you pray.   We finally got him to pray more than at those two times. Like when he reads. But then we realized he says the same prayer every time he meets with us!  But he says he knows these things will help him and that he wants to know that this church is true. He really wants to go to the temple also. So he is an awesome investigator.   I love this guy! He is a funny person who is super shy and comes to church about an hour and a half early! So that is fun!

So this week I was calling the investigators on my phone day and wanted to call Sister Mamm. Who is doing great! But I accidently called sister Nan. Who's name in Thai looks close. So I was following up with the Sister in our Ward about her pray and reading.  And she was answering all the questions. And I was thinking wow Mamm is doing really good. And then when I looked at the phone I noticed I called the wrong person. It was pretty funny at church when I saw her! She asked why I asked her all that stuff! I said to ask her if she had any questions! So Sister Mamm this week is doing great! We orignally had her baptismal date on the 9th of June but since we have Stake conference and can't confirm her on Sunday. We moved it up to the 2nd. She was so excited because she finally realized all the help that the spirit gave her in her life with decisions she has made while learning with the Elders! She has a super strong testimony! And knows these things to be true! So this Saturday she will be getting interviewed for baptism! She is really funny! But she is doing really good and am excited to help her. She has so many friends in the ward and she says that the spirit feels good when she comes to church!  This next  picture is of Bishop Brajack! He is the funniest person alive! and yes his arm is around me!

This week is transfers! Wow I have been here for Six weeks! The time goes way fast out here! It does really seem like yesterday when I was graduating! Time flies! So today I learned it is pretty cheap to send things home in envelops! So that is good! Today we are going to probably go to a market or to the mall. That is fun! There are lots of things to do at malls here. Usually you have a black market in the basement and nice market up top haha! English is super fun also! This last week I had to teach the gospel portion of English which is where you basically give them a intro and ask them if they want to learn more! This week we are doing a Showcase which happens every six weeks. We are doing a talent show and people are going to sing in English and dance and stuff! It will be fun! I will take some pictures! So that is it for this week!

It sounds like home is fun! And everyone is doing great!

Elder Landon Simonsen

Hello from Thailand

Hello Family -

To answer your question, the water is way cleaner than Mexico and we drink it everytime we go to the road side shops and stuff. But usually you try to drink bottled when you can. So that is what we do with the water but it is pretty safe. Definately this place is pretty up to date with technology and stuff.

That is awesome about Chase and Brian going on missions! And all my other friends are leaving too! That is exciting.

K as for skype we are getting on at 8 o clock A.M. Bangkok Thailand time. So I will leave it up to you to do the math. I can't. haha! So 8 a.m. with emphasis!

K so this Sunday at church was fast and testimony. It was excellent. I gave the opening prayer in excellent Thai. haha (not really) but it is really the exact same. Besides that fast sunday is the same. People don't have any problems getting up. They are very spiritual people.

Well after that we had to teach Aaronic priesthood. They only have about 6 Aaronic priesthood holders but we taught them about missions. How you get called, where you serve, Why we served, What you can do to prepare now, and so on. So that was really fun to do. We had them practice giving out pass along cards.

K so we had this guy from English show up at church and he is interested in learning a little. He goes to school in Alaska at Anchorage or something. Anywho he is way more interested in English than the gospel. We all didn't know who this guy was but then I remembered like 2 weeks ago we met him on the train and talked to him.

So for this week our investigators are doing great. We extended a baptismal date to 2 more. Brother Egg and Brother Nung. These names are spelled in english for you, so yes they are weird but here in Thailand pretty common. So this week we are doing really good, Dim came to church again and is finally able to learn more with us. But Mam is progressing the best right now. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she only had a problem with coffee. And she quit the next day. haha. So that was awesome! As for Bing, he believes in pure budhism.  But yes we are doing good here. We have a lot of investigators right now. And a few potentially good ones. With this German Thai family. The Dad is German the Mom is Thai. They are really interested and we have taught them and they are looking for the truth. So that is good.

This place is awesome! Honestly the people here are so humble, I found out this week that lots of the members are poor and are struggling for money and that when they converted to the Church they no longer have many friends except for people in the Church. It is kinda sad, but they know it is true. They all give up so much, to pay tithing and everything but the members that do pay tithing are blessed. A few members bore testimony about it. It was great. The people here really have had to fight to know these things to be true. It isn't an easy path but it is a path of reward. We know where we are going, we know why we are here. We know we will live again after this life with God, Jesus Christ, and our families! It is awesome. I love this gospel. I am looking forward to talking to you all next week! So remember 8 o clock A.M. Thailand Bangkok Time. So do the math! I love you all and you should be getting my letters soon. It is really cheap to send letters. I sent 5 for about 130 baht. So 4 dollars ish. Very good! It is sweet so we can write!

Everyone is doing great, I am looking forward to hearing from you on Mothers day.

K so I will see you all next week! Love you and keep up the work back there in the U.S! So I am looking forward to calling. and I will see you next week. Also When it rains here it pours!!!!!! For like 5 minutes it just is like you get wrecked by water. Probably like texas. But then stops for the rest of the day!

K love you all have a good week!

Elder Landon Simonsen!